familyAgavaceae
genusAgave
speciesAgave americana
subspeciesAgave americana subsp. protamericana

Agave americana subsp. protamericana

Gentry

Agaves Continental N. Amer., 287, figs. 12.1, 12.3–12.5, 12.8, 12.12, 12.14, 12.15, plate 12.1. 1982.

James L. Reveal, Wendy C. Hodgson
Common names: Wild century plant
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 453.

Plants acaulescent or short-stemmed, trunks less than 1 m; rosettes open. Leaves frequently reflexed, 80–135 × 17–22 cm; blade light green to glaucous-gray, sometimes cross-zoned, broadly lanceolate, adaxially plane or guttered, abaxially convex; margins crenate, teeth, 5–10 mm; apical spine subulate, 3–6 cm. Scape 6–8 m. Inflorescences: lateral branches 15–20. Flowers 7.5–9 cm; perianth-tube 15–20 mm; ovary 4–4.5 cm. Capsules 3.5–4 cm. Seeds 7–8 mm.


Phenology: Flowering early spring–early summer.
Habitat: Sandy places in desert scrub
Elevation: 200 m

Distribution

V26 939-distribution-map.jpg

Tex., ne Mexico

Discussion

The Starr County, Texas, plants of subsp. protamericana are smaller in stature than those seen in Mexican populations but appear to belong to this wild taxon.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number. "thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Agave americana subsp. protamericana"
RDF feed
3-locular life cycle
anthesis +
Anther arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Anther coloration
yellow +
Anther dehiscence
longitudinal +
Anther fixation
versatile +
Anther some measurement
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Apex architecture
hooded +
Apex architecture or shape
beaked +
Apex character
width +  and length +
Apex fragility
pliable +
Apex odor or shape
pungent +
Apex orientation
recurved +
Apex pubescence
glandular-pubescent +  and glandular +
Apex relief
papillate +
Apex shape
linear +  and oblong or deltate +
Apex texture
rigid +
Apical spine coloration
dark-brown +  and grayish +
Apical spine shape
subulate +
Apical spine some measurement
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Author
James L. Reveal +  and Wendy C. Hodgson +
Authority
Gentry +
Blade architecture
armed +  and filiferous +
Blade architecture or pubescence or relief
smooth +
Blade coloration
cross-zoned +, light green +  and glaucous-gray +
Blade fragility
pliable +
Blade pubescence
glaucous +
Blade shape
convex +, guttered +, plane +  and lanceolate +
Blade size or length
short to long +
Blade texture
rigid +
Bract architecture or shape
leaflike +
Bract duration
persistent +
Bract orientation
reflexed +, erect +  and ascending +
Bract shape
triangular +
Bract some measurement
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
Branch arrangement
cluster +
Branch quantity
2;40 +
Branch shape
umbel-like +
Capsule architecture
short-pedicellate +
Capsule shape
oblong +
Capsule some measurement
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
Common name
Wild century plant +
Crown architecture
fibrous-rooted +
Crown width
thick +
Distribution
Tex. +  and ne Mexico +
Elevation
200 m +
Filament coloration
yellow +
Filament orientation
erect +
Filament pubescence
pubescent +  and glabrous +
Filament relief
papillose +
Filament shape
filiform +
Filament some measurement
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
Filament texture
succulent +
Filament width
broadened +
Flower architecture
6-merous +
Flower arrangement
singly +
Flower orientation
erect +
Flower prominence
showy +
Flower reproduction
protandrous +
Flower some measurement
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
Fruit architecture
capsular +
Fruit dehiscence
loculicidal +
Fruit shape
oblong +  and ovoid +
Fruit texture
fleshy +
Habitat
Sandy places in desert scrub +
Illustration copyright
Flora of North America Association +
Illustrator
Bee F. Gunn +
Inflorescence architecture
not bulbiferous +
Inflorescence arrangement
paniculate +
Inflorescence density
dense +
Inflorescence position or shape
distal +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Inflorescence quantity
1/3 +  and 1/2 +
Inflorescence size
huge +
Lateral branch orientation
horizontal +  and slightly ascending +
Lateral branch quantity
15;20 +
Lateral branch some measurement
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (?) +
Leaf architecture
pseudopetiolate +, sessile +  and simple +
Leaf duration
evergreen +
Leaf length
80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br /> (135 cm1,350 mm <br />1.35 m <br />) +
Leaf orientation
reflexed +
Leaf position
cauline +
Leaf width
17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
Limb lobe course
curved +
Limb lobe length
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Limb lobe orientation
erect +
Limb lobe shape
Cylindric (?) +
Limb lobe size
unequal +
Limb lobe variability
equal +
Limb lobe width
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Margin architecture
armed +
Margin architecture or shape
dentate +, serrulate +  and entire +
Margin coloration
white +
Margin course
undulate to crenate +  and straight +
Margin shape
crenate +
Margin texture
fleshy +, firm +  and rigid +
Margin width
thick +
Neck atypical some measurement
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Neck size
constricted +
Neck some measurement
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Ovary architecture or structure in adjective form
1-locular +  and 3-locular +
Ovary coloration
greenish +
Ovary placentation
parietal +
Ovary position
inferior +
Ovary shape
cylindrical +, ovoid +  and 3-angled +
Ovary some measurement
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +  and 4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (?) +
Ovary texture
succulent +
Ovule quantity
numerous +
Pattern architecture
entire +
Pattern coloration
lighter +
Pedicel architecture
not +  and articulate +
Pedicel fusion
distinct +
Pedicel presence
absent +
Peduncle arrangement
cluster +
Peduncle quantity
2;40 +
Peduncle shape
umbel-like +
Perianth-tube distance
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Perianth coloration
yellow +
Perianth shape
tubular +
Perianth texture
semisucculent +
Phenology
Flowering early spring–early summer. +
Publication title
Agaves Continental N. Amer., +
Publication year
1982 +
Reference
None +
Rosette architecture
open +
Rosette growth form
not cespitose +
Rosette texture
succulent +
Scape some measurement
600 cm6,000 mm <br />6 m <br /> (800 cm8,000 mm <br />8 m <br />) +
Seed coloration
black +
Seed quantity
1;3 +
Seed shape
globose +, obovoid +  and flattened +
Seed some measurement
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V26/V26 939.xml +
Spine height or length or size
short +
Spine length or size
long +
Stalk texture
semiwoody +
Stamen fixation
attached +
Stamen position
long-exserted +
Stamen quantity
6 +
Stem architecture
branched +, , +  and unbranched +
Stem location
aboveground +
Stigma architecture or function or pubescence
glandular +
Stigma architecture or shape
capitate +
Stigma quantity
3 +  and 1 +
Stigma relief
papillate +
Stigma shape
3-lobed +
Style position
exserted +  and included +
Style shape
subulate +
Taxon family
Agavaceae +
Taxon name
Agave americana subsp. protamericana +
Taxon parent
Agave americana +
Taxon rank
subspecies +
Tepal fusion
connate +
Tepal quantity
6 +
Tooth arrangement
apart +
Tooth quantity
Single (?) +
Tooth some measurement
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Trunk some measurement
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
Tube size
subequal +
Tube some measurement
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Volume
Volume 26 +
Whole organism architecture
short-stemmed +  and acaulescent +
Whole organism duration
perennial +
Whole organism growth form
plant +
Whole organism habitat
epiphytic +
Whole organism life cycle
flowering +
Whole organism reproduction
polycarpic +  and monocarpic +
Whole organism size
small;gigantic +
Whorl quantity
2 +
Whorl shape
petal-like +
X chromosome quantity
30 +
Year quantity
8;20 +